Isabel Celata returns for her fourth MPT production, after appearing in Musical of Musicals, Avenue Q, and Sondheim on Sondheim. This fall she plays the pretty and rebellious Shelby in Steel Magnolias!
Describe your character in three words. What has been fun/exciting/challenging about playing her?
Loving, lively, and quick-witted. Shelby has been raised and formed by the strong women in her life. The best part about the show has been working with the other incredible women in the cast, developing deep, meaningful relationships between our characters. In my experience, there is little more powerful than bonds between women, and I am so excited to showcase the strength of those relationships in this show.
Truvys is a place where these characters can match wits and build community with each other. Did/do you have a place like Truvy's in your life? What makes it special?
Not a physical place, but I do have multiple group chats with important women from different stages of my life that feel very much like a virtual Truvy's. We celebrate each other, cry together, and make each other laugh like there's no tomorrow.
Shelby's colors are Blush and Bashful, M'lynns are peach and cream. What are yours?
Cornflower blue and sage green.
Which Steel Magnolias meal sounds most appealing: Ouiser's Shrimp pies, Truvys Strawberry pie, Clairee's Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa (cuppa flour, cuppa suger, cuppa fruit cocktail), or the cake shaped like an armadillo?
Definitely Ouiser's Shrimp pies. I'm actually from New Orleans, Louisiana, so Cajun cooking tastes like home to me.
Steel Magnolias is a staple of American theatre. What does this story mean to you?
Steel Magnolias has a very special place in my heart. This production is actually my second as Shelby, the first being at my high school in Louisiana. In a lot of ways, this production feels like coming home, to a character who I adore and strive to be more like, to a powerful story of womanhood and friendship, and to my home state, Louisiana, which deeply impacted the person I am today.
What do you think audiences will like about Steel Magnolias?
It has a little bit of everything - hilarity, joy, nostalgia, tragedy, and love. It's a pretty perfect microcosm of life, in that way.
Don’t miss Isabel onstage in Steel Magnolias September 13-21! Tickets are on sale now at www.middletonplayers.com/tickets.